The Third Person

I am grateful I attended a Bible-teaching Christian church as a kid.  But my experience shows even a church that systematically teaches through the Word of God has limitations:  my understanding!  I grew up with a lot of misunderstandings about God and the interpretation of scripture not due to bad exegesis but my own legalistic folly.  I read the Sermon on the Mount and other teachings of Christ as a new law to be followed by the letter and somehow missed the whole "Love one another as I have loved you" which was only possible by being born again through faith in Jesus and walking in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus exposed His disciples (and all people) as judgmental, sinful rascals:  we tend to judge others before we judge ourselves.  He questioned them in Matthew 7:3-5, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  Jesus illustrated the folly of judging others according to appearance instead of first judging ourselves righteously.  He pointed out the intense scrutiny of others to locate a speck in a brother's eye whilst having a twig from a tree hanging out of your own!  We can be very earnest about removing the speck from our brother's eye while being quite comfortable with the plank in our own eye.  Jesus commanded His followers to actually remove the plank with repentance and turning from it (not just admit it could or does exist) and then with clear vision unobstructed with hypocrisy help restore a brother (Galatians 6:1-3).

I wonder if it is common for Christians to do what I did with this passage:  I conveniently invented a third person in this story who had neither plank nor speck in their eye.  Can you guess who this person was?  It was me, of course!  The reality is in every situation or conflict we are one of the two believers in the parable with either a speck or plank in our eye.  In imagining myself as the third person I foolishly and dangerously placed myself on the level only Jesus Christ is worthy of, being the sinless Son of God and only Judge with perfectly clear vision.  Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart and sees the hypocrisy concealed within.  How critical it is for our growth we would take the scripture personally by relating the most ugly and wretched conduct we see as a glimpse of the reality of who we are and remain apart from Jesus.

When confronted with his inability to meet the demands of Hebrews in the wilderness, Moses cried out to God in Numbers 11:15, "If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now--if I have found favour in Your sight--and do not let me see my wretchedness!"  It was impossible for Moses to provide a BBQ meal in the desert for a million people, and dealing with our own hypocrisy and wretchedness is an impossible task by the effort of the flesh alone.  We cannot love like Jesus asks us to, to love even our enemies like Jesus loves us!  Moses touched on an important point:  he despaired his condition and wished to die.  Jesus provided us an example by dying on our behalf, revealed our total bankruptcy of love and inability to do as He commands, and here's the awesome part:  when we are born again through faith in Jesus we can die to self and the life of Jesus begins to miraculously be lived out through us.  It is not our love but the love of Jesus even for enemies which shines through when I admit I am the one with the twig in my eye, the hypocrite in desperate need for cleansing from sin and grace to humble myself before God and man.

Jesus is the only One worthy to be the third person in the illustration of the story, for there is none of us without sin.  Isn't it amazing God would demonstrate such love, grace, and patience to selfish, proud, unloving hypocrites like me and you by sending His own Son?  Praise be to God now and forever!

Light Affliction and Eternal Glory

Regardless of the state of the world, Christians can peaceably rest in the comfort and goodness of God.  Australia has recently experienced drought, bushfires, floods, an economy reeling from the impact of COVID-19, not to mention the risk of infection from the ongoing pandemic.  I do not know if my generation has ever experienced such upheaval that affects daily life.  Billions have been wiped from the stock market and for those who find security in savings the future looks increasingly grim and bleak.  It is situations just like this which illuminate the blessings God graciously gives those who trust in Him with contentment and freedom from fear, worry, and hysteria.  We can rejoice knowing in the supreme confidence God loves us and is in control.

Followers of Jesus Christ are not strangers to trials and difficulties faced in this life and have continued to joyfully thrive.  On the heels of informing the Corinthian church he and fellow believers were troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down--at times even despairing of life--rejoiced how the life of Jesus was manifested through them.  Their bodies were perishing but God continued to renew them from within day by day.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."  When Paul called his suffering "light affliction" he was not downplaying it but comparing it to the eternal glory which awaited him and all those who trust in Jesus Christ.  Their suffering would have an end but the glory they would experience was eternal and far outweighed negative experiences in life which would ultimately be redeemed according to God's good purposes.  Paul lifted his eyes above the problems and pains and fixed them on the eternal God in His holy habitation.

Without being born again by faith in Jesus the best men can do is place their hopes on circumstances changing for the better, labour to make the best out of bad situation, habitually check news reports, hoard goods out of fear, and funnel anger by blaming someone or something for their present state.  It is true there are practical steps we can take to be prepared for disasters and limit exposure to illnesses, but the Christian is given by God strength, comfort, and rest confidently knowing we are safe in Him.  Professors and "experts" are giving predictions about best and worst case scenarios concerning the economy or the viral pandemic but they cannot change a thing.  No matter what happens in the world or to us personally, we need not worry.  Even when our personal reality exceeds a worst case scenario it is light affliction which is but for a moment which is working for our good and God's glory forever.

Where are your eyes fixed today, believer?  To whom do you look for hope?  Are you focused on what you can see (worrying about what you cannot see) or on the eternal?  David prayed in Psalm 27:7-10, "Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. ⁸ When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek." ⁹ Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. ¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me."  Cry unto the LORD all who desire mercy, for He will hear and answer.  The God of our salvation will not leave or forsake us in volatile seasons of life because He is faithful and eternal.  Seek the LORD you His beloved children and all our needs will be abundantly met according to His grace and "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

The Faithful Legacy

King Hezekiah is proof the apple doesn't resemble the tree it dropped from, a perfect example God can make godly men regardless of their godless environment.  There are few kings in the history of Judah as wicked as Hezekiah's father Ahaz, yet Hezekiah prepared his heart to seek the LORD.  When he became king he immediately made sweeping changes to purify the land of idolatry and to restore the worship of the one true God of Israel.

Hezekiah left behind a legacy of far greater enduring value than gold or silver but the testimony of a life devoted to the praise, worship, and service of God.  After preparing the Temple to accommodate the worship of God and the storage of sanctified things, he ensured priests and Levites throughout the land were provided for from the offerings obediently brought by the people.  See what 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 says about this king who faithfully served the LORD:  "Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. ²¹ And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered."  May this be said of all God's people, that we too would do what is good and right and true before the LORD.  It is God's will we would seek God with all our hearts who will cause us to have success in all we put our hand to do.

The life of Hezekiah teaches us a godly legacy is not made by what you leave behind but by choosing to live for the glory of God today.  Praise the LORD for His faithfulness and how those who love and trust God begin to resemble Him in godly character as a son bears similar physical features to his dad and mum.  I was always struck by my dad's similar manner and bearing to his father, and how beautiful it is to see the attributes of God in the way we love, forgive, and are patient with one another.  1 Corinthians 1:9 says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  Let us answer the call to faithfully walk with Jesus today--and keep going!

Choosing Your Battles

When I worked for a union shop as a mechanical insulator, I was nominated by my peers to be shop steward.  This volunteer role was structured to be a liaison between the workers and the union to resolve conflicts between the shop and workers.  If the shop violated the collective bargaining agreement to the detriment of the workers, should the shop refuse to address the grievance it fell to me to contact the union so they could step in and resolve the issue.  It wasn't long until I was called upon to act in the best interest of workers who were being taken advantage of.

In my idealistic youth I imagined the union brass would be keen to stand up on behalf of members who were ill-used by their employer.  I discovered quite the opposite, that the union laboured to keep good relations with shops by ignoring issues raised in the fear they shops would go non-union.  During a conversation with a union business representative it was evident he lacked any desire to follow up the complaint and said with a sigh, "Ben, you gotta chose your battles."  Instantly I fired back to him, "Well, I chose this one.  How about you start doing the job the members are paying you to do?"

The approach of "choosing our battles" is common.  We might identify a losing battle, a pointless or an unnecessary battle.  There are many battles which could be justly fought, but we only want to expend effort when we can win and the potential benefit justifies the cost.  There might be a million justifiable battles and because we cannot fight them all we must choose the most worthy ones.  Every battle we fight requires a certain amount of personal investment, whether the conflict involves nations, a union contract dispute, or one of a personal and private nature.  The Bible sheds much light on battles which is foreign to the world.  Because God fights for His people He is able to accomplish impossible victories no one walking in their own strength would ever dare attempt.  In faith in God Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt without a fight, David slew the giant Goliath with a single stone when armed and amoured men fled at his voice, and Jesus defeated sin and death when He laid down His life on Calvary.  God's battles and the way He fights them are uniquely His own.

In the book of Joshua God directed the Israelites to march around Jericho once a day for six days, and on the seventh day He commanded them to encircle the city seven times:  at Joshua's command the people shouted and God caused the walls to fall down flat.  After this miraculous and astonishing triumph, the children of Israel set their sights on Ai--a small city with only 12,000 inhabitants.  The spies reported two or three thousand men was all it would take to defeat.  Because of sin in the camp the 3,000 who approached the city fled in fear and 36 of them perished.  After judgment of those who troubled the camp, Joshua 8:1 says, "Now the LORD said to Joshua: "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land."  Instead of only mustering up a small fighting force for a small city, God commanded Joshua to muster all the fighting men of Israel which numbered in the hundreds of thousands.  Of the entire army made ready a portion of them were chosen to fight as Joshua 8:3 reads:  "So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night."

There are many valuable principles in this passage we can apply personally:  to seek the LORD in what battle to fight, to obey God's leading in how to fight the battle, and that we do so with all our might--not only committing a fraction of our resources to the fight.  This walk of faith in God requires all our effort, a complete commitment of readiness to obey.  Because the battle is the LORD's it is always expedient to expend our energies according to His direction, for all our resources and abilities we possess have been provided by His grace.  The battle which we are engaged in is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, against rulers of darkness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6).  In the fight against Ai God directed the children of Israel to utilise military tactics, and though God has given us spiritual armour by the Holy Spirit it does not mean we intuitively know what battle to fight and how to fight it.  Praise God the battle and victory is the LORD's and when He chooses a battle He enables and guides us to contend successfully.